Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#164 :: 10 September 2013

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#164 :: 10 September 2013
E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net
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POLITICS

1. RIA Novosti: Russia Climbs 8 Spots in World Happiness Report, Ranks 68th of 156.
2. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Officials look to end aggressive driving in Russia. Starting Sept. 1, new penalties are in effect for Russian drivers. Sanctions were modified for 46 violations, and maximum fines will increase by 10 times, going up to roughly $1,500.
3. The National Interest: Dmitri A. Simes, Putin’s No Stalin.
4. Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Petr Tverdov and Aleksandra Samarina, State Itself Gives Rise To Demand For Political Radicalism. Modern Concept of Stability Based on Regular and Legitimate Change of Power.
5. Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Aleksandra Samarina, Why the West Was Shown Sergey Ivanov. The President Is Showing off the Rise in His Chief Of Staff’s Political Clout.
6. Moscow Times/BBC Monitoring: What the Papers Say, Sept. 10, 2013.
7. Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Ivan Rodin and Aleksandra Samarina, Electoral Freedom of Varying Degrees of Maturity. The Election Campaign Demonstrated That the Regime Has Been Forced to Opt for Reactive Political Modernization.
8. ITAR-TASS: Regional elections signal return of real competition to Russian politics.
9. www.russiatoday.com: Pro-Putin majority party sweeps first nationwide election day.
10. Interfax: Home voting could have distorted outcome of Moscow mayoral elections -Golos movement.
11. BBC Monitoring: Putin urges all Russian political forces to work together in wake of elections.
12. Interfax: Moscow elections commission endorses ballot results: 51.37% for Sobyanin, 27.24% for Navalny.
13. Moscow News: Anna Arutunyan, Sobyanin vs Navalny: One wins, did the other lose?
14. ITAR-TASS: RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW. Elections have had remarkably few violations.
15. BBC Monitoring: Moscow election victor hails his win in a ‘fair’ contest.
16. ITAR-TASS: Inauguration of Moscow’s elected mayor Sobyanin to take place September 12.
17. Moscow Times: Moscow Election Hints at New Political Reality.
18. Interfax: Navalny: this election gives birth to genuine Russian opposition.
19. RFE/RL: Generation N: How Navalny Shook Up Politics With His Army Of Volunteers.
20. Moscow Times: Moscow Voters Explain Their Choices.
21. The Interpreter/The New Times: Dmitry Kamyshev, A Lazy City . Why Muscovites stayed home.
22. Financial Times editorial: The return of real politics in Russia. The opposition can no longer be dismissed as irrelevant.
23. Interfax: Prokhorov: Navalny’s performance phenomenal but I would have won in first round.
24. Interfax: Vorobyov wins gubernatorial election in Moscow region with nearly 79% of vote – final data.
25. Moscow Times: Roizman’s Victory a Blow to United Russia, Analysts Say.
26. The Interpreter: Sasha de Vogel, As United Russia Takes On Water, Russia’s Elite Jump Ship . One-party rule disintegrating into chaotic pluralism.
27. Moscow Times: Nikolai Petrov, Authorities Use Fair Means in Rigged Elections.
28. Moscow Times: Vladimir Ryzhkov, Corrupt Clans Lead Siberian Regions to Ruin.
29. Carnegie Moscow Center: Maria Lipman, Navalny’s Success Means Harder Choices for the Kremlin.
30. Paul Goble: Window on Eurasia: Three Who Lost the Russian Election.
31. Interfax: Foreigners worried about North Caucasus ‘had better look at themselves’ – Putin.
32. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Russkiy Reporter: Children of Beslan look at future in shade of the past.
33. RIA Novosti: 18 Russian Universities Placed in Top World Rankings.

ECONOMY

34. Moscow Times: Report Sees Possible Economic Upturn.
35. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, Back to the 90s – Russia to freeze energy tariffs.
36. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Russia’s call: Austerity versus spending. Economist Pavel Vasiliadi describes how Russia has more options than most of its G20 peers in choosing to either save or spend its way out of the crisis.
37. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Mega financial regulator has been created in Russia. A mega regulator of the entire financial market began work in Russia on Sept. 1. According to experts, this will have a positive impact on the economy as a whole and increase Russia’s investment attractiveness.
38. www.russiatoday.com: PetroChina considering $10 billion Russian gas investment.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

39. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Russia to Syria: Put chemical weapons under foreign control.
40. Wall Street Journal: Syria Backs Russian Plan for Weapons. France Plans to Submit Resolution to U.N. Security Council to Allow for Swift Dismantlement.
41. Interfax: Pushkov hopes Obama won’t reject Russian initiative on Syria.
42. ITAR-TASS: Light can be seen at end of Syrian crisis tunnel.
43. RIA Novosti: Russia Promises to Unveil ‘Workable’ Syria Plan Soon.
44. Forbes.com: Mark Adomanis, Russia’s Proposal To Take Control Of Syria’s Chemical Weapons Probably Isn’t Sincere, But We Should Try To Find Out.
45. RIA Novosti: As Syria Rages, US and Russian Chemical Weapons Stockpiles Persist.
46. Moscow Times: Anders Aslund, Push for Customs Union Turns Friends to Foes.